'Gotti' Film Gets Whacked, Forbes Reports

Forbes is reporting that Fiore production's much-hyped 'Gotti' film is as dead as the heyday of Cosa Nostra.

It is probably one of the most over-written films never to have made it to the screen, with producer Marc Fiore fighting an uphill battle, seemingly part of it of his own making, such as the endless bad press following negated negotiations with Joe Pesci, an actor many cinema fans enjoy watching, especially in Mafia films.

But the "final nail" in the coffin, the article says, no doubt speaking what many think, likely is the bad tabloid press engendered by John Travolta -- who was to play the role of the infamous Gambino crime boss.

"True or not, [this type of scandal is] corrosive to this sort of project," the Forbes article says, adding, "Said one ex-participant, 'I doubt John Gotti Jr. would want him playing his father now,'" a sentiment that would seem to fly in the face of what Mrs. John Gotti Sr.has been saying in defense of the actor.

The film seemingly had a new lease on life, briefly, when it was announced late last year that Barry Levinson was going to helm the film as director, and that a new producer had arrived, Ted Field, "who’s come in to save Marco Fiore (aka Marc Fiore)," reported Showbiz411, which added that Field had been negotiating distribution rights with Summit Entertainment.

But money issues continued to dog the film."For some time, Ted Field of Radar Pictures said he was going to raise the necessary $45 million to make the film. But that hasn’t happened," Forbes reports.

John Travolta was not the only big name attached to the project, the "idea" of which was hyped by producers only a year ago at Cannes. Others who signed on, or may have, or were supposed to have, included: Al Pacino, Kelly Preston (Mrs. Travolta was going to play Victoria Gotti Sr. -- but who know's if she will even be playing Mrs. Travolta much longer?), Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian (!) and Ben Foster.

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